The Third
by LunarCry
Summary: As a great fan of Mikoto, how could I NOT write her an auto-biography? ;)
1. Part 1

  
I like Mikoto :) This is the first of a trilogy of fics about Garland's angels of death. Enjoy ^__^   
  
**The Third**  
~LunarCry~   
  


The very first thing I recall, upon opening my eyes for the first time, was the Light.

Soft and pulsing, a glowing shade of azure, it was nevertheless agonising to look at. When, finally, I was released from my narrow home of buoyant fluid, warm air forced its way down my throat, and I began to breathe.

When I think on it, pain was the only real feeling I had until I received my Name. Immediately upon my expulsion from the life cylinder, I became fully aware of His expectations. There was nothing exceptional about me. In fact, there was no 'me'. My brethren and I constantly thought of ourselves as a 'we'. 

I can remember taking my first, stable steps out of the life chamber, and laying eyes upon the Crystal. The others surrounded it, just staring at the radiant surface. I tried this immediately. The light was still painful, but I could see my reflection in the Crystal.

I felt nothing as I returned the dead gaze of the face in the huge jewel. It was ultimately strange to see that my face was identical to those of the others, but I didn't know how to be surprised, or hurt, or anxious. None of us knew.

Except for one.

The first time I saw him was upon my emergence into the open air of Bran Baal. There was something slightly different about his appearance. His hair was not blond, but a pure white, though his face was similar to ours. I thought it was shaped differently, until I realised that he was staring into the lake wearing something I later defined as an Expression.

I watched with curiosity as he squinted at the light, bent to the bank of the lake, scooped up a stone and threw it powerfully into the water. It skipped a few times, and then sank. He made a growling noise and then turned, bumping into me.

Falling provided a new source of pain. I didn't react to it, though - I catalogued it in my mind as a Lesson. The strange one proffered a hand, and I blinked at it.

"Do you not require assistance?" he asked, and I looked up into his eyes.

There was something there that I had not seen in my reflection. A quality to his gaze that was exempt from my own. I found myself wondering what that quality was.

Uncertain as to what I was supposed to do with the hand he had lowered to me, I thrust out my own. He grabbed it, and pulled me to my feet. His eyes lingered on my face for a few seconds longer before he raced off, disappearing from view.

One of the others pointed with disinterest. "He has been Named," she said simply, and turned back to her close analysis of a flower sprouting from the cracked flagstones.

  


***

I didn't find out what a Name was until much later. Since the Name was not associated with any other of my brethren, I assumed it had something to do with the different quality of the strange one's eyes. Wondering about it gave birth to my curiosity, even before I was 'gifted'. Since no one else spoke of the Named one, I followed suit. It was in my nature to pursue the crowd.

  


***

We have no concept of time in Bran Baal. We did not grow and we did not age, and therefore time was of no importance. As my natural programming deemed, I immediately began to learn.

The first thing I learned was of Garland.

He was as set in Terra's nature as air. He was a part of Bran Baal as surely as water did not flow. When Garland talked, the Genomes listened. For that was what I was - a Genome.

After Garland, and the elements, I would study the plants and the others of my kind. I would stare at buildings and calculate how they had been constructed. I did not need to learn words - they were already within me. A Genome cannot learn unless it can ask questions.

We also had to suffer the Light. Garland said it was important for pain-endurance Lessons. I much preferred to study the other things.

My curiosity was not satiated by the knowledge of my existence. Realising my purpose, understanding why Garland had graced us with the quality known as 'life', was integral to my learning, but for some reason I craved more. Whenever I spotted the Named one, I would approach him. Unlike us, he seemed to change as more knowledge was acquired. He gained height and his appearance changed subtly. 

Sometimes I would ask questions.

"Why do your irises look so different?" I said once.

The Named one half-laughed. "What on Terra do you mean?"

His voice was different also. It modulated between tones in a manner I found most bewitching.

"What is a Name?"

He narrowed his eyes at that. I continued to stare, barely blinking, until he started to shift around. "Something you would never wish to be cursed with," he said so quietly that I almost didn't hear. With that he walked off. I considered following to ask more questions, but for some reason I felt it would be a bad idea.

  


***

One day, I realised I had learned all I needed to know. I returned to the Crystal and stared at it some more.

I was pondering the pattern of light veins in the Crystal's surface when the Named one hurried past, behind me. I turned slowly to watch. Another Genome was following him.

My stare hardened as I fixated on this pursuer. He looked no different from any other Genome I knew. 

Someone beside me said, "Another will be Named." 

Although I was curious, the will of Garland was that no Genome should interfere, so I did not.

  


***

I was sitting by the edge of the lake when I saw the Second named one again. It was impossible for me to grow bored, but I had run out of things to learn. Few others seemed to be in that situation, so I sat alone, thinking of nothing.

Second came and sat next to me, squinting at the Light. I decided I might find something new to learn if I engaged in conversation with him. I tried the standard greeting Garland had taught all of us.

"Hello."

Second blinked, and looked directly into my eyes. "Yes . . . hello."

"We heard you had been Named."

"Not . . . exactly."

"Could you tell me what a Name is?"

He hugged his knees to his chest, rocking backwards and forwards with his tail agitatedly tapping the ground.

"Such curiosity is not becoming of a Genome."

"On the contrary, it is quite important that we are knowledgeable, for the time when our bodies receive souls," I replied automatically.

"But you don't _need_ to know what a name is to receive a soul. What you ask is for something more than standard."

I blinked, running that information through my brain. "But I have already learned all there is to learn in Bran Baal."

He looked up in something I acknowledged as surprise. "Everything? But . . . you're not half as old as some of the Genomes who have yet to do that!"

"What is this 'old' you speak of?"

Second shook his head, releasing a slow, heavy breath. "Of course . . . you wouldn't understand the concept of time, would you?"

"What is -"

"Stop it!"

"Stop what?"

"Asking so many questions!"

"But that is how we learn."

"That's not what it's all about!"

"That is our current purpose."

He bared his teeth. I had never seen this expression before. "You seem to be faster than the others."

"We are all made the same."

"Only on the surface!"

"You are the same. But you are Named. What is a Name?"

Second sighed and closed his eyes. "A name is, and means, nothing." He stood up, looking around at the other Genomes studying their environment with complete, single-minded focus. "Garland is a fool."

"Garland is Garland. He is synonymous with air and fire and water and earth."

"I told you to stop it!"

"My sentence was not then a question."

"But you're just repeating things you were told!"

I could not think of a reply to that. Second's expression softened as he turned and regarded his fellow brethren.

"No one will look after them when we leave," he murmured, mostly to himself.

"Do you have a Name?" I asked.

"No. I haven't been given one." 

"Then why does everyone say you have been Named?"

He looked me up and down. "Garland said I was not to discuss this with any ordinary Genomes."

"You are extraordinary?"

"I guess . . . you could say that."

"What about the First?"

"The First? Oh . . ." He nodded. "He has a name. But a name means nothing."

"Then what is so special about a Name?"

"It's not the name that's important . . ."

"Would you tell me?"

This Genome looked very similar to us in appearance. But, like the First Named one, there was something about his eyes and his manner that made him different. It was not until much later that I understood the term 'older', but it applied to him even then.

I began to prefer Second's company to any other Genome. It was clear that he did not want Garland to find out about what he told me, but he divulged the information regardless. He looked upon me differently to the others, too. It was a strange feeling. Sometimes he would ruffle my hair or widen his lips at me. He never did that to the others. I was never sure what to make of being treated in a unique way, so I mostly ignored it.

And I absorbed his words thoroughly. He spoke to me of Terra and of its long and complex history, in much more detail than a Genome should ever need to know to complete its purpose. Since I had no concept of right and wrong, I could not then hate my home and my function. I also couldn't hate Garland. It wasn't in a Genome's nature to hate their Maker. But Second had no qualms about doing so. I did notice that he flitted over the reason why and how he and First were different to us. He said less and less with every meeting, eventually succumbing to silence and not even throwing off my attempts at questions. Sometimes he would stare at me for long periods, and scratch words into the ground in handwriting that differed from that every Genome possessed. It was so unclear that I couldn't read it. Often he would shake his head, cross the words out and make new ones. Their purpose always eluded me.

Finally, he summoned me to the lake one last time. I remember his words clearly.

"This is it. It's time. I . . . I just want you to know what a name is before I leave."

Conflicting priorities forced me to choose between two possible questions.

"You will tell me now?" was the one that finally came out.

"Yes. I've been trying to think of a way to put it for a long time." He looked up at the pulsing Light in the fractured sky. "A name is . . . a label. It gives the person who is named a sense of individuality and allows people who address the named person to see them as an individual."

"A label provides individuality? But Genomes are not to be individuals until they receive souls."

"Yes, well . . ." Second lowered his gaze in an almost embarrassed fashion. "Listen . . ."

"I am."

"Well, I've talked to you a lot, haven't I?"

"Indeed. We have engaged in many conversations."

"Yes . . . and while I know you're not in any way different from the others besides being a faster learner . . ."

"That is debatable."

"Let me finish. I've . . . enjoyed your company and I will miss you. I have . . . a gift for you. I've thought long and hard about this. You don't have to use it at all but I've automatically singled you out from the crowd. And, since I see you as an individual . . . I've given you a name."

Only my incapability for emotion stopped me from being bowled over. "You have Named me?"

"Yes. In ancient Terran, the word for 'quick' is Mikoto. That's how I think of you."

"My label is now Mikoto?"

"If you like. You don't have to use it. Like I said, it's just how I refer to you."

I nodded. I expected something to happen, now that I had been Named. But nothing did. My eyes did not change and I still could not form an expression. I wondered if something had gone wrong with the Naming process.

Then, the second question I wanted to ask made itself known.

"Why are you leaving Bran Baal?"

Second was aggrieved. "Garland wishes it. He has . . . plans."

"You are taking First . . . this 'Kuja', with you?"

He laughed. "No, Kuja is taking _me_." Suddenly, he turned serious. "I have a huge favour to ask . . . Mikoto . . . I don't know if I will return to Bran Baal again. Although the other Genomes don't have emotions, I do. And even if they have no recognition of Kuja or me . . . I'm worried."

"Worried?"

"I don't have time to explain what that is! Garland is going to do something stupid, I can tell. He doesn't care about us. Even we don't care about us! All Garland cares about is restoring Terra!" He grabbed my hands. "Mikoto, I need you to look out for the Genomes. I need you to care. If something goes wrong, I want you to make sure the Genomes aren't wronged in this. We never asked to be created and we were never asked if we wanted to fulfil our purpose. If Garland messes up, it's _us_ who will pay for it!"

I blinked, not understanding. "We are incapable of caring."

"But you should care! If only I didn't have to go . . . I'd look out for us. Garland won't! If I'm not going to be here, someone else has to be! Mikoto . . . it was never the name that changed Kuja and me. I still don't have a name and _I_ care!" Second was pacing around now, clearly frustrated. I couldn't contemplate his actions. They were completely outside my limits of understanding.

He seemed to reach a decision. Wretchedly, he turned back to me. "Mikoto, I'm sorry . . . but you have to see. Come with me."

I followed mostly out of curiosity. Second led me away from the lake and up the ramps to the Gate. Strangely, it was open. I had never seen it open before. I wasn't given time to wonder at it, though, for I was pulled by the hand into the area beyond, across a glowing white walkway and to a twisted tree. As Second approached it, the energy between a knotted branch and the ground shimmered.

Abruptly, I was somewhere else. It was dark and malformed, almost organic in appearance.

"Where are we?" I asked impassively.

"This," Second said sadly as he dragged me onwards, "is Pandemonium."

I asked no further questions until we reached a yawning chasm in the ground. While I stared into its depths, considering how far down it went, Second moved away from me and began to call for Garland.

The Maker appeared quite suddenly. A tall, black spidery creature, with a billowing dark cape and a radiant red light in his chest, his face was lined and grey.

"You have kept us waiting," Garland said in a voice so deep it seemed to entail many, many chasms and run far further below than the one that stretched before me. He looked at me with cold eyes. "What is she doing here?"

Second began speaking rapidly. "I won't go unless you do this for me."

"What makes you think you have a choice? Come, Kuja awaits!"

"No! This Genome has learned everything there is to learn, and I have told her more."

"Against my wishes?" When Garland's voice was angry, it seemed to make the air crackle with lightning.

Second only narrowed his eyes. "Yes. I have given this Genome a name. I want you to finish the process."

"Why on Terra would I want to create a Third?"

"I know you were considering it anyway, Garland. You don't trust Kuja or me as far as you can throw us."

Garland smiled unpleasantly. "Finally, something we agree on."

"You wanted a back-up plan? Mikoto is your Genome."

"Mikoto, eh?" Garland rubbed his beard with one hand in a thoughtful way. "What exactly is your reason for wanting a Third?"

"My business is my own."

"It also my power to give life and I want to know why I should! Tell me!"

Second snarled. "Because you might screw up."

Garland's expression froze. And then he burst out laughing. It was a long time before he stopped.

"Very well, very well. I could do with another errand-runner when you two leave, anyway."

Second bristled at that, but didn't say anything else. Garland turned to me. I regarded him quite coolly.

"You might hate me for this," Second whispered to me. "And I'm sorry. But someone has to care for our fate." Squeezing my hand briefly, he stepped back. I returned my attention to Garland, with no clue as to what was going to happen to me.

"A given name has no real meaning," my Maker said with a grin.

"Then what is it that Kuja and the Second possess that we don't?"

Garland's eyes lit up. The red fire in his chest began to flare, and his hands made complex movements. I could feel a great pressure on my body and mind, like something outside my skin violently trying to burst into my interior.

"Kuja and that little runt both possess a soul, Mikoto!"

The pressure was fast becoming pain. I dropped to my knees, trembling. Even the Light had never done this to me!

"But . . . we are not meant to receive souls yet . . ."

"An angel of death needs a soul, my dear!"

With that, my shared, emotionless little world exploded.

It is probably hard to describe the reception of feelings to someone who has always possessed them. My surroundings seemed to cave in on me, my mind collapsed under the weight of the mixture of love, hatred, anger, sorrow, and fear that was loaded on my consciousness. The pain was so much more real. Whether I lived or expired was suddenly of great importance to me. I was terrified of Garland, and extremely happy to see the Second approach me with what I now understood was concern and compassion.

Now I knew what worry and care were, and I was weighed down by a great deal of both.

I became aware of my limp body against the slightly warm, pulsating floor. Second was beside me, his eyes wide with fear for my well-being.

"Mikoto, are you all right?"

I understood what the phrase 'all right' meant for the first time. Weakly, I nodded, but couldn't seem to regain my composure. Everything was different now that I had emotion. I could vaguely begin to see the difference between right and wrong and nothing looked the same anymore. Even my physical surroundings seemed darker, more frightening.

Still trembling, I blinked at Second.

"Mikoto," he whispered harshly, beneath Garland's hearing range. "You _must_ remember. You're the only person who'll be aware when Garland messes up. You have to take responsibility for the others. Garland will use you and the others will reject you, but you're all they have. Promise me!"

"I . . . I promise." Second's affection for me was now plain, and I didn't want him to leave me here alone.

"Good . . . and take care of yourself, Mikoto. Don't let Garland do to you what he did to Kuja and me."

"What did . . . he do to you?"

"I hate to interrupt this emotional scene," Garland growled, "but you are wasting my time. Go to Kuja!"

"He doesn't want me to go."

"He doesn't have a choice! Now _go_!" 

Second stood up, and nodded. He caught my eye before he walked out of sight.

His expression was apologetic.

"Now, Mikoto," Garland said, lifting me to my feet. I was staring at my hands as though I had never seen them before. "Mikoto!"

I looked up. Garland smiled radiantly, and placed a hand on my shoulder in what was supposed to be a comforting manner. 

"We have much to discuss, my dear. Let us not waste any time."

  


***

Nothing was ever the same after that.

Garland's initiation was frightening. Second, whose presence I missed already, had not told me everything, for I wouldn't have been able to understand without emotion to fuel my mind. Now, however, the past, present and future were laid out bare before me.

I learned much more than I'd ever wanted to. 

Kuja had been created specifically to prepare Gaia for assimilation. Garland liked to play God, and had made him differently to my brethren and I. That was why his appearance was so dissimilar. 

Unfortunately, the Genomes as a community had rejected anything slightly strange to them. If it was not part of the Learning, it was not important. Most Genomes ignored each other anyway, but Kuja, and now I, had feelings, and such rejection was painful.

Thus, Second had been adapted from a regular Genome, in the hopes that he would be more easily integrated into Bran Baal's warped society. This hadn't been entirely successful either. I could understand this. Kuja had always seemed hostile towards everything and Second was just lonely and sad. I wondered if I, too, would suffer this same fate.

I could also understand now why Second had been so incensed by Garland's plan. Originally, the Maker had only intended for one angel of death to plunder Gaia, but the Genome's attitude towards his purpose had only worsened with his complete rejection by the other Genomes. Second's arrival had infuriated Kuja. He had refused to let Garland name the new angel of death. Garland trusted neither Genome to complete the work set to them, but with competition, he hoped Kuja would try harder and thus succeed. 

Then I learned that Second was to be Kuja's successor. This angered me. Unused to emotions as I was, I let them take over.

"It is not fair. You are using us for your own ends and I will have no part in it!"

Garland bristled. He drew his hand back, and lashed it across my face.

No one had ever been violent towards me before. Tears rolled down my cheeks and I was hard-pressed to understand why.

"This is your only purpose in life! Who gave you life? I did! And as such, you will _always_ do as I command or I shall kill you myself! Your thoughts and feelings don't matter. The end justifies the means and Terra _must_ be revived! Do I make myself clear?"

Garland's anger was truly terrifying. It sent violent ripples of fire through the environment, forcing even the strongest-willed person to cower.

"Yes . . ."

From then on, I found it very hard to fulfil Second's wish. When Garland was not 'initiating' me into the knowledge of our purpose, I wandered around Bran Baal. The Genomes looked upon me as some new object of fascination for a while, and then ignored me. I had never been paid any special attention before, but now I had feelings and the loneliness was agonising. I spent many hours weeping uncontrollably. On the outskirts of Bran Baal was the room Garland had created for Kuja. Without a soul, the other Genomes needed neither rest nor sleep, and with Kuja and Second gone, I now had it to myself. The pillow of the bed in there was almost constantly wet with my tears.

Garland was the only person who saw me as an individual. I used to savour each calling of my name and the hours of attention he would spend on me. Although I knew I should hate him for his abuse of my race, I began to grow excited at the prospect of his special 'learning' lessons. Even when I had absorbed every detail of ruined Terra, of its method of absorbing planets to survive, of the roles that everyone played, knowingly and unknowingly, I sought him out. At first he would ignore me if he had no use for me at the time.

Then, slowly but surely, he allowed me to watch him work Pandemonium. I'd follow him up to the Invincible and we'd stare down at Gaia through the ship's eye. One day, he revealed Second's fate to me. I hated and feared Kuja for having the gall to purposely 'lose' the first and closest person I'd had to a friend. Garland did not seem surprised.

"It was in Kuja's nature," he said simply.

I think Garland did eventually enjoy my company for its own sake. Now that time was a part of my understanding (for I aged quite rapidly over the twelve years following Kuja and Second's departure), I felt pity for him. He alone had been left with the responsibility of reviving a long dead civilisation. He had to be thousands of years old, and he often seemed to miss his own kind. The only other intelligent creatures on Terra were his own creations, the Genomes, but without emotions they could not engage in true conversation, or understand how a person with feelings thought. Kuja had hated Garland's authority and disinterest in his well-being, and Second had disliked seeing his people used like this. It might have been Garland's brainwashing, or my sympathetic nature revealing itself, but I thought of him as a friend.

Back in Bran Baal, however, I hated being an Individual. The loneliness was swiftly becoming unbearable. As a result of my fellow Genomes' ignorance, and Garland's dislike of any protest, I began to hide my emotions. It was easier to speak in a toneless voice, and smother my sorrow. I was unaware at the time that suppressing my feelings to blend in better with the Genomes went against Second's wishes. 

But how could I care for them? My species, they might have been, and I know I should have felt compassion for them even in their zombie-like states. After all, I had been identical before receiving my soul. But Second hadn't had to last for this long. Besides, Garland seemed to approve of my quietness and my uncaring nature, and I would do anything to please him. In the end, I just couldn't be bothered to care. Even my own life, my own fate, became unimportant.

My sense of right and wrong dried up as well. I stood on the prow of the Invincible as Garland used the great Terran ship to destroy Madain Sari, and then Alexandria. After the decimation of the second great city, Garland seemed immensely pleased. It had something to do with Second, but I didn't know what. He didn't tell me, either. Surprisingly, thoughts of Second no longer inspired regret and feelings of loss. I was simply past caring.

Kuja seemed to be doing his job well. Garland said it was for the wrong reasons, but it didn't matter. The end result was the only thing that did. I was too tired of life to disagree.

  


***End of Part 1***

All characters and the main theme are owned by Squaresoft.


	2. Part 2

  


**The Third**  
by LunarCry

  
  


I preferred to wander out into the ruined world of Terra, rather than do nothing in Bran Baal. The shattered glass walkways and spiralling buildings and motionless void below me were somehow more interesting. I found my favourite perch on a mangled tree trunk shaped like a hand, sat down and just thought about things.

Not long after the destruction of Alexandria, I went further out than usual. There was nowhere decent to sit down, so I walked on. Startled by the flash of the watery void beneath the towering, desolate cityscape that indicated a breach of the planet's aura, I was even more surprised when Garland appeared out of nowhere and began reeling out instructions.

"Mikoto, Second has arrived. I must return to Pandemonium to secure the Invincible, but I need you to lead him to the Gate. Kuja is likely to be close behind him, so get him to Bran Baal as soon as possible. Do you understand? This is _it_, Gaia will soon be assimilated!"

I nodded. "I understand."

"Prepare him for our encounter, but don't tell him everything. I doubt he remembers much. Leave the re-telling of the full tale to me!"

Again, I nodded. Garland faded into nothing, and I turned, spotting a group of figures making their way towards my location.

It _was_ Second. He was dressed completely differently. His hair had also changed slightly. For a moment I hoped he'd call my name, but he didn't. I sighed, and got on with my work.

They followed quite easily. Second was determined to catch me up, and I had to run fast to draw him towards Bran Baal, tempting him with snippets of information. When we neared the entrance to the Genome settlement, I turned to face him.

"Welcome home."

Not a spark of recognition flashed in his eyes. He seemed more angry than anything else. I was too weary of living to feel any pain at not being remembered.

"This is where you belong," I continued. My voice sounded so strange, so cold and distant. I rarely used it anymore, even when talking to Garland. A nod or gesture usually did the trick. "The place to which you shall offer yourself . . . is here."

Hurriedly, I dashed into the village. The Genomes weren't even disturbed by the commotion. Second was. I watched discreetly, still coming to terms with the rejection he had dealt me. Second was charging around Bran Baal, looking for somewhere to rest. Apparently the girl he'd been with had fainted. Garland has secured the Invincible. Now I had to lead Second to him.

One of the Genomes had pointed out my room. Second and his group of friends had vanished inside. I lingered by the steps, staring into the lake and thinking hard.

I didn't have to wait long. A small girl with a tiny horn in the middle of her forehead came charging out, assaulting my brethren with questions. Eventually, she latched onto me.

"Huh? Found ya!" she yelled triumphantly. I turned languidly to face her. "You're that girl, right? It's _your_ fault Dagger collapsed, you know . . ." She seemed to get her priorities in check. "Oh, never mind. Say! Don't you have any medicine at all?"

She was referring to the dark-haired woman who had fainted. "She will soon awaken," I said.

"How do you know?"

I didn't have time for this. "Where is your man?"

The girl blushed and began to stutter. "Are you talking about Zidane? Even I never called him that! But too bad for you! He and Dagger are super-hot for each other! You don't have a chance with him."

So someone _had_ named him in the end. Zidane . . .

"Tell him I am waiting in the underground laboratory," I ordered tonelessly, and walked off towards the Crystal chamber. The girl protested until I moved out of hearing range. Descending the steps to my place of birth, I watched the Genomes forming new members of our species in the life cylinders until Second . . . Zidane . . . approached me warily.

He took one look at the Genomes floating in the tanks, and sighed heavily.

"So that's what this is all about . . . Geez . . . I should've guessed . . . So, this is what you wanted to show me?"

I nodded stiffly. "Yes. I'm glad you understand.

"I don't wanna understand! Sorry, but I'm not like that. I mean, all these guys with tails, who look just like me . . . They're a bunch of zombies."

"They are my peers. We are Genomes," I stated flatly. "We live in this village."

"Genomes?" Zidane looked as though he was having trouble believing this. "Is that what they're called?"

"Not just them, but you and me, too." I began to automatically recite my lessons. "It is the name of the seed given to all of us. Its name is Genome."

Zidane swung around angrily and kicked at a stray cable on the floor. "Talk about a let-down. Who would've guessed that the home I've yearned for would be a dump like this? No wonder I never found it. It's not even on Gaia!"

I was now thoroughly puzzled by his behaviour. "Why are you not happy? You have returned to the place of your birth."

"Happy?" The word burst from his lips with such hatred that I mentally recoiled. "You guys can process that emotion? Look at 'em!" He flung a gloved hand at the nearest Genome. "Look at all their blank faces!"

Anger began to swell up inside of me, but as usual I could not express it outwardly. "What can we do?" I demanded in a lacklustre monotone. "After all, we are made that way. And we are built to work together as soulless Genomes."

"What's it all for?" He scowled at me. "Get to the point already! How come I grew up on Gaia if I was born here? I'm alive! I have a soul! Why is everyone here so -"

"Because you are . . ." Garland's words came back to me. I kept the end of the sentence as vague as I could. " . . . Special."

"What?"

"We are mere vessels," I intoned. "You have been given a greater purpose." Undeniable respect tinged my next words. "The will of Garland is absolute . . ."

"Garland? Who's that?"

I started walking towards the stairs. Zidane followed quickly. His movements were filled with a buoyancy I had never before seen in a Genome. That his speech patterns and dialect had changed also made me feel strangely wistful.

"Garland watches over this planet. His mission is to restore the people of Terra."

Now Zidane looked confused. "R-Restore the people of Terra? You mean, people besides these guys here?"

I sighed. "They are merely vessels. So am I, and so are you." He bridled at that, but didn't interrupt. "But the true people of Terra have been asleep for ages, waiting for their time to come. When the time is right, the light of this planet will turn from blue to red, and Gaia will become Terra."

Zidane was waving his hands to halt my words. "Wait a sec! So the people of Terra are out to take over Gaia?"

I shrugged. "What else can there be? Terra has always absorbed new planets to survive. And when the time comes, the souls of the people of Terra will occupy the Genomes. Such is the restoration of the people of Terra."

"Why do they have to be so tedious? Why can't they just wipe us out with magic like they did in Alexandria?"

"Once, Garland tried to use a more forceful method, but failed."

"Then he should just quit and leave Gaia alone!"

I began to recite again, as if he had never interrupted. "Because of his failure, he was forced to wait a long time . . . To wait until Gaia's civilisations had gained tremendous power." I paused dramatically. "The power to use eidolons."

Zidane deflated. "So that's why you attacked the summoners' village and Alexandria."

"Planets have a cycle of souls. Souls are born from the planet, and then return to it. Garland planned to gain control of that very cycle . . . and you were supposed to help him achieve that."

"What?"

I had said enough. "Garland is waiting for you. Come." I beckoned him forward.

"What do you think you're doing? I don't care about this Gaia and Terra stuff!"

He came along anyway, though. A Genome's curiosity never leaves him, I suppose.

I led him to the Gate. He spoke a little, but was mostly despondent. In twelve years I hadn't seen him, but he didn't know me at all. If I hadn't retreated so far into my own mind, I might have broken down and wept.

As we approached the tree that led the way to Pandemonium, he stopped. I wondered at the reversal of roles. Twelve years ago, he had shown me the way to Garland. Now it was my mission to re-educate him in his long-forgotten purpose.

"Hey! Where are you taking me?"

"I told you," I informed him calmly. "You are going to see Garland."

"Yeah, of course." Now he looked impatient. "But this way is a dead end."

"There is a way." I pointed to the shimmer of energy between the knotted branch and the ground. His eyes widened. "See? You may find him through the portal. He awaits where the souls sleep. The floating castle where souls bide their time until their restoration . . . Pandemonium." I allowed him to absorb this information, before asking, "Will you not say farewell to your friends?"

Zidane crossed his arms, his tail twitching irritably. "I don't care what I am." He seemed to be talking to himself. "I was born here, wasn't I? If so, then I am an enemy of Gaia."

I regarded him with cold, cold eyes. They had begun to lose that quality that separated me from my soulless Genome brethren. "You learn quickly."

"Make no mistake," he growled. "I won't join your side. I just . . . If we are relatives, then . . ." He set his jaw and stalked towards the tree. 

"Then I want to take care of this little family matter myself," he finished determinedly.

He vanished with a flash of light. I stared at the place where he had been a few seconds ago.

_I won't join your side . . ._

We had always been on the same side, Second and I. Kuja, I was never sure of, but Second and I had been together. And the way he had aimed the anger of that comment directly at me . . . 

_. . . your side . . ._ Our side? What side? I was neither of one viewpoint or another - this was my purpose. Whether or not I agreed with it, I had to fulfil my destiny. He would soon learn.

"Now you listen to me!" someone yelled in a high-pitched voice. I was so tolerant of pain that I only mentally winced, turning slowly to face the little violet-haired girl from before. Three of Zidane's other friends stood a short distance away, trying to make themselves look threatening. "Where did you take Zidane?"

I sighed. "He went on his own to see Garland."

"Garland?" The little girl pouted. "Oooo, _that's_ a sinister name! But Zidane wouldn't just leave us hanging!"

Hanging? Such strange Gaian slang, I thought. "He went . . ." I paused. "Yes, he went to find out the reason for his existence."

"Liar! That's a terrible lie!"

I had never in my life told a lie. I had never had need to. I decided I would never tell a lie, either. Lying was for the cruel and the deceitful. But, nevertheless, I had to deter these Gaians from interfering with Garland's plan.

Very coldly, I said: " 'I am an enemy of the people of Gaia,' he said as he walked through the gate to Pandemonium."

For the first time, the little girl seemed fearful. She whirled around to her companions. "We . . . we gotta tell the others!"

They charged away. I shook my head at my tactics when they could no longer be seen.

"Heaven grant the wandering souls eternal repose . . ."

***

Right now, Second . . . Zidane . . . would be learning all about his origins and his future. It had been two or three hours since I had led him to Pandemonium. For some reason, I didn't think he would approve. His words came back to me.

_You're the only person who'll be aware when Garland messes up . . ._

I stared down into the liquid void below Terra's ruined civilisation. Zidane wouldn't want to fulfil his destiny when he found out. Gaia had warped his priorities and changed him considerably. What would Garland do with Zidane when he refused to take over from the doomed Kuja? Hugging my knees to my chest, I shivered.

I am the Third. I am Garland's back-up plan. I didn't want him to harm Zidane, and not just because he'd been my first friend. When Kuja's limited lifespan finally gave out, Zidane was supposed to take over. If not, then it would be _my responsibility_.

But that was my destiny. There was no point mulling over something I couldn't change.

Every hair on the back of my neck rose to attention as I heard nervous laughter a few dozen metres away. Immediately, I ducked behind the clump of strangely malformed Terran plants I'd been sitting on. My eyes widened at the sight of Kuja, climbing out onto an outcrop that overlooked the void below.

"I can't believe I actually returned to this place," he said to himself in his whimsical voice. "But . . . soon . . . Soon the power will be mine alone." There was something about his expression and his tone that disturbed me. Much had changed since I had last seen him. He laughed again.

"Just you wait, Garland! And you, too, Zidane! I'll exact sweet revenge upon you both for insulting me! I'll make the people of both Gaia and Terra know whom rules over all of them!"

He broke off into wild laughter. I saw his eyes gleam as they caught hold of the Invincible, hovering serenely in the sky over Bran Baal. It was then that I realised his intentions.

Garland had to be warned! I sprinted away from my hiding place, charging along the fractured roads and diving over rubble. I was panting for breath when the gates to my village appeared on the horizon, and held my ground by the transportation panel that led up to the infamous Terran ship. I immediately set about switching off the power.

"Hello, there," a low voice said somewhere behind me.

Standing, I glance back, narrowing my eyes at Kuja. "You will not take the Invincible. Garland's will is absolute."

Kuja pursed his lips amusedly. "I recall you . . . from somewhere."

I tensed, standing my ground.

"You were just another Genome. You shouldn't be acting on your own," he said wryly. 

"I'm like you," I said softly. "I am the Third named one."

"What?" Kuja's vaguely feminine features contorted angrily. "He gave another a soul? Why didn't he just leave it to me?"

"He doesn't trust you. As you plan to overthrow him, you know he was right not to put any faith in you."

"And you . . ." He sneered derisively. "You hope to usurp my prerogative?"

"I don't hope," was my flat reply.

"So his brainwashing worked on you, then?"

"It is not brainwashing. It is our purpose. You are wrong to try to change your destiny." I wondered how he would take the news that, now that Zidane had reappeared, his time was severely limited. I didn't want to be the one to break it to him. Although I didn't care for my own fate, I didn't want to leave Garland without an angel of death.

"I'd ask you for your name, but it is not important." Kuja waved a hand delicately through the air. "Now stand aside. I have business to attend to with that foolish self-proclaimed God."

"No."

"Don't make me kill you."

I didn't move. Kuja's expression hardened. He flew at me with breathtaking speed and fluidity. Although I knew his magical prowess was formidable, it had never occurred to me that he might be physically strong with such a slender, fragile appearance.

"Move!" he screamed.

"I won't." 

He hit me with full force. We both tumbled onto the teleporter, and the world around us blurred as we were transported to the central area of the ship, Invincible. I had no weapons, but I lunged at him in my entirety, using fists and feet to try and push him back onto the teleporter and send him away.

A shattering spell threw me to the floor, panting and limp. Kuja was far too powerful for me.

The Genome grabbed my collar and held me out over the teleporter.

"Don't interfere! Garland has had this coming to him for a long, long time!"

He dropped me. I hit the faintly glowing surface and found myself back by the entrance to Bran Baal. I tried to get back on the ship, but Kuja had hurriedly moved it out of range of the teleporter I was next to.

Garland had to be warned!

***

I charged back into Bran Baal. Zidane's friends seemed to have disappeared. Only the Genomes were there, going about their usual business. Their intended future was in jeopardy! 

I didn't know where Kuja, Garland or Zidane were, but I started to head for the next teleporter, hoping it would be within range of the Invincible. Kuja planned to _kill_ Garland! My only remaining friend . . .

I was running so fast that I almost didn't notice the flash of light on the near horizon. Skidding to a halt, I froze, my eyes widening.

A figure was floating up from a distant platform, glowing with crimson fire. I could feel his soul crying out piteously, and I knew it was Kuja.

He had found out. I felt a deep sympathy for him, wondering why I could share his vivid emotions. But what was he going to do? Would he just fly away, never to be seen again?

No.

Fear clutched my heart as a rain of fire abruptly exploded from the figure. It struck a collection of the spindly towers that were Terra's trademark. Their single, slender support stands snapped under the weight of the destruction, plummeting into the void.

_"Mikoto . . ."_

"Garland!" I looked around, but my master did not appear.

_"I'm sorry, but you won't be receiving any further orders."_

"Why?"

Garland's muted voice laughed. The noise played on my mind like a fall of feathers. There was undeniable affection in the sound. _"Forever asking questions . . . I want you to run. Escape. Kuja will destroy Terra. He has far surpassed my expectations and he is too dangerous. You will die if you don't leave here."_

I sagged against the nearest wall, shaking my head. "Don't . . . go . . ."

_"Too late, I'm afraid . . ."_

His presence faded.

"Garland?"

No good. He was gone. I turned and watched the now burning horizon. The other Genomes weren't even flinching. They watched with a mechanical curiosity. How could I ever care for such heartless creatures?

Bowing my head, I pushed past them, dragging my feet as I walked back into Bran Baal. I made my way to the Crystal chamber, and then descended the stairs. The Life chamber was empty. Two Genomes floated in the cylinders. Sighing, I ejected them. They weren't yet ready but I thought they might like to see what they were missing before they died.

Died? We were hardly alive anyway. Even I, the Third, possessing a soul as I did, felt nothing anymore. Life was just a state of existence, nothing special or important.

The released Genomes dusted themselves off and trudged upstairs, vanishing out of sight. I had spent my entire life alone, and now I would die alone. Feeling numb and emotionless, I turned away from the life cylinders and waited for the inevitable.

The ground above rumbled and shook with tremors. It would not be long now. And then . . .

"What are you still doing here?! We need to evacuate!"

Second. 

I turned, zombie-like. He was perched on the stairs, his eyes wild.

"What's the point?" I said softly. "They're only empty vessels . . ."

He nearly fell backwards with shock. "Stop talking like that! Do you really believe what you just said?"

I lowered my gaze. My eyes burned, but, as usual, I drew back the tears. "Unlike the rest of them, Garland gave me a soul, that I might replace you and Kuja." I swallowed heavily. "But Garland is . . . dead. Terra will soon be destroyed. What's the point?"

Surprisingly, he did not get angry with me. Instead, he completed his walk down the stairs and moved closer to me. "I asked myself the same question."

"And did you find an answer?"

He bit his lip. "No," he admitted. "But maybe the point is to just try. It's gonna be hard . . . but I've got my friends. It isn't too bad."

I remained silent. Friends . . . something I had always been short of. Even Garland had been distinctly lacking.

"Hey, what's your name?"

"Huh?" That caught me off-guard. Few people had asked that question for a decent reason. I looked up at Zidane sharply.

"Garland gave you a name, didn't he?"

_No, you did . . ._ "My name is . . . Mikoto."

He grinned radiantly. Just looking at his warm expression made some of my doubt melt away. "Mikoto, huh? That's a nice name . . ." He clasped my shoulder. "A lot of people are gonna call you that from now on. You have to find the answer yourself. It'll be hard, but you can do it. Let's go to the new world, Mikoto! There, you can find your answer . . ."

I hadn't kept his promise. I guessed I should try and make amends for that now.

He held out his hand to me. Shakily, I accepted it.

And we walked out of Bran Baal together.

***

The next twenty-four hours were a revelation for me. After spending so much time in Terra's dead landscape, Gaia was a complete and utter surprise. I had seen it through the Invincible's eyes, true, but it wasn't the same as seeing it up close. The small black mage had kindly led us to his village. He seemed to understand us a lot, and me in particular.

I had still been in a state of shock at the time. Sitting inside the Invincible, I was the only Genome not wandering around the interior and Learning new things. Vivi had came and sat next to me.

"Uh . . . hello," he said uncertainly.

I didn't reply. My purpose had not been fulfilled. There was no chance now of any of my kind completing their destinies. Our lives were practically worthless, a waste of space. Even Zidane's words hadn't any effect.

"Are you all right?"

I looked down into his glowing eyes. Once again, I could feel his soul. If I concentrated, I could feel anyone's. In the hours we had spent moving from Terra to Gaia and then across that world, I had begun to grow accustomed to the differences in a person's soul and how that affected them personally. But my fellow Genomes' emptiness was painful and cold to feel.

Vivi's soul was warm. It revealed a degree of uncertainty even stronger than mine. But the little black mage was at least making an effort.

"No," I replied truthfully.

"Oh."

He twiddled his thumbs. After a while, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"There is no point in this anymore. We Genomes no longer hold a purpose. You should have left us to our fate."

"I know how you feel," Vivi said, surprising me.

"How could you?"

"Kuja made us . . . the black mages . . . to be used as tools of war. After the situation changed, we were no longer needed."

"But you have a soul. Only Garland could infuse a body with a soul."

"Well, I'm different to the others. But . . . you see, some of them started thinking for themselves. They sorta . . . made their own souls, I guess. They even built a village and started to live the way they wanted to."

I shook my head in alarm. "That doesn't sound right at all. How can you make your own soul?"

Vivi seemed to be thinking. "Maybe . . . maybe a soul isn't something physical. Maybe it's just an awareness of . . . feelings and stuff. That's what happened to the others. They became aware."

I considered this. "But why do they still continue to try to live? They have fulfilled their purpose."

"Well," the black mage said in staunch defence, "they found their own purposes. They live because . . . because . . . they want to."

"I . . . don't understand . . ."

Vivi suddenly sat up. He adjusted his hat and dusted himself off. "Don't worry, Mikoto. I have an idea. I'll show you!" 

His reason for running towards the bridge was only apparent when we landed near a forest on a dry and dusty continent. The sky was swollen and purple in the distance, and I could feel Kuja somewhere near the energy build-up. But I didn't have time to think about that, for we were welcomed into the Black Mage Village.

It was so different to Bran Baal. The atmosphere was no longer dead and sterile, but vibrant with activity and life. Creatures called insects buzzed around lush, exotic plants. The dirt trails were warm underfoot where they had been baked by the great, blazing sun. Terra's sun had always been obscure because of the Light. The little buildings, shaped like the smiling faces of black mages, inspired feelings of friendliness and hospitality.

The Genomes were already wandering around, Learning new things. The black mages were answering questions as best they could. _They_ had expressions and _they_ had feelings. It was true. They also had souls. I could feel them buzzing in the air around them.

Could my brethren also grow their own souls?

For the first time in a long while, I was hopeful.

But then I remembered it didn't matter. Kuja was still at large, and would ravage this world with a vengeance. We were dead Genomes walking.

We spent the night there. In the morning, I found Zidane and his friends preparing to leave. Despite the inevitability of a global apocalypse if Kuja was not stopped, I decided to try to save them.

"You haven't got a chance," I said coldly. "You saw Kuja's power. He destroyed a world by himself . . . You don't have a chance of defeating him . . . You'll all die."

Zidane seemed to lose his composure for a second. To my left, Black Mage No.24 said: "Wow! This girl knows lots of difficult words!"

That broke the hard silence that had descended over us. Zidane grinned and moved closer to me.

"Doesn't she? She's a bit cynical, but take good care of her." He winked at me. "She's kinda like my little sister."

A dozen protests tried to escape my mouth at once. All that eventually came out was, "Wha -"

He turned to me directly. "Mikoto! Listen to your big brother and make some friends!"

For the first time ever, I blushed. "H-How silly!"

With an agile jump, he landed down by Dagger. I had become acquainted with all of Zidane's friends, from the amusing Quina to the stoical Freya, and I liked them all. Such varied personalities . . . it was a first for me to experience them.

But they were leaving. I watched them disappear into the forest. They were extremely hopeful. Cynical? Was I? Maybe it was time I gave them a chance . . .

***

I liked the Black Mage Village.

I had thought I had learned all there was to learn, but the black mages showed me different. I watched them from a distance at first, observing the way they live for the moment. In accordance with the burial area at the edge of the village, I learned that they could survive for around two years. After that . . . they stopped working. Two years was not a long time. At first I wondered why they bothered to achieve anything if they would die so suddenly. But the longer I spent in the Black Mage Village, the more I grew attached to the place, to the people in it . . . and to my brethren. One or two had begun to show signs of independent thought. I took it on myself to help them along. 

I realised that, if my lifespan were only a maximum two years, I would want to get the most out of it. My original purpose no longer seemed as important. I looked at it this way - if I had to carry on living, I might as well make myself useful.

It went a step further. I started to enjoy helping my fellow Genomes think independently. I _did_ make friends. The earliest Thinkers of the Genomes had also shown some indication of emotion. I hurriedly tried to draw it out. I remembered Zidane's original description of a Name, and started labelling those who became aware. 

In the end, I noticed that I was enjoying myself. I still showed a noticeable lack of emotion, and I guess that was by force of habit. But I did feel things, even if I didn't always express them.

And then, it happened.

The purple, swollen sky screamed, throwing out waves of energy in a motion that forced many of the trees of the surrounding forest into the air. I somehow knew that Zidane was finally confronting his destiny. But the mountains and the forest hid the Iifa Tree from view. I listened with all my heart, but felt nothing more.

And then a large ship landed in the vicinity of the village. The black mages and my brethren and I rushed out to meet it. Scorch marks lined its outer surface, and smoke billowed from its engines. Garland had been more of an authority on airships, but I could tell this one had suffered some extensive damage.

Abruptly, people began piling out of the ship. In particular, several women in armour were helping another, who seemed to be injured in some way. As she looked up wearily, she caught sight of me and the other Genomes.

"Wait," she said weakly. "I'm . . . seeing double. Triple. Quad . . . whatever. Where did all these Zidanes come from?"

Some of the others pushed me forward.

"Who are you?"

The woman smiled. "My name is Beatrix. We just helped escort Zidane into the Iifa Tree."

"I am Mikoto, his . . ." I hesitated. "We are his brethren."

The woman named Beatrix widened her eyes slightly, but nodded briskly. "All right. We need to fix the Red Rose for when they return."

"The black mages will help," I said, and waved them forward. They immediately began moving inside the ship.

"Thank you," she said. And then she collapsed.

Apparently, Kuja had sent a wave of silver dragons to contend with the Invincible. Beatrix had been injured when the Red Rose had been struck, and they had retreated here. We settled her in the guest room, with her faithful followers, and then I watched the black mages and engineers attend the ship. One question nagged at me:

How would they know when to return?

I found out a few hours later. Kuja's soul screamed with a burst of energy so powerful it ripped through me. I knew that it was time, and hurried to Beatrix.

"You need to return."

The woman sighed. "I can't. But . . . I want you to go instead. Tell Cid! Hurry!"

The Red Rose wasn't nearly as stable as she ought to have been, but we had no choice. I fulfilled Beatrix' wish and stood on the bridge of the majestic ship, watching the skies fall away below us, and the mountains follow them. The aggravated landscape was calming slightly - one way or another, it was all coming to an end.

Another ship became visible as we neared the Iifa Tree. It was keeping its distance. Someone hooked me up to its bridge.

"This is the Red Rose," I informed them curtly.

_"You're not General Beatrix. Who are you?"_

For some reason, I almost smiled. I was beginning to enjoy answering that question.

"My name is Mikoto. Everyone is alive. You are very close to them."

_"What?! How do you know?"_

I paused, trying to think of a plausible explanation. In the end, I chose my gut reaction. "I can hear him . . ." I whispered, and left it at that.

Time slowed to a crawl. Zidane and his friends reappeared, and I never figured out how. My sensitivity to my brother's soul was becoming incredibly sharp, and I could feel his weariness as if it were mine. But . . . there was a problem.

_"Farewell, Zidane . . ."_

I had to stop myself from yelling at my brother to leave Kuja alone. But it was obvious that the Second had not changed as much as I'd thought he had. I watched with a heavy heart as he turned back to the Iifa Tree.

Zidane's friends all departed on a ship, after a somewhat short goodbye. Kuja's ebbing soul was somewhere in the depths of the Iifa Tree. I stood at the base of the humungous growth, watching a faint figure make an apparently suicidal attempt to enter the tree. I barely breathed as I waited to see if it would reappear.

Kuja's soul faded first. 

After several more seconds, Zidane's also vanished from my senses.

We had always been a breed apart, us three. I wanted to cry, but nothing would come out. I simply stared at the Tree, thinking.

The only two people who really, _genuinely_ understood me, who understood what had happened, were gone. Narrowing my eyes, I realised that it was now my responsibility to teach this to my brethren. The Genomes had to know what had been sacrificed . . . what had been changed. I now knew that life never followed a straight path. We are able to make our own choices.

Sadly, I started back.

***

That was eight months ago.

Kuja . . . what you did was wrong. But you gave us one thing . . . Hope. We were all created for the wrong reason, but you alone defied our fate. We do not want to forget this. We want your memory to live on forever . . . to remind us that we were not created for the wrong reason - that our life has meaning.

I always talked about you, Zidane. How you were a very special person to us, because you taught us all how important life is. You taught me that life doesn't last forever. That's why we have to help each other and live life to the fullest.

Even if you say goodbye, you'll always be in our hearts. So, I know we're not alone anymore.

Why I was born . . . how I wanted to live . . . Thanks for giving me time to think.

To keep doing what you set your heart on . . . It's a very hard thing to do. We were all so courageous . . .

What to do when I felt lonely . . . that was the only thing you couldn't teach me. But we need to figure out the answer for ourselves.

I'm so happy I met everyone. I wish we could've gone on more adventures.

But I guess we all have to say goodbye someday.

Everyone . . . Thank you. Farewell. My memories will be part of the sky . . .

Now I stand near the entrance to the Black Mage Village. You'd be proud at how far we've come since then. I know I didn't keep my promise properly at the beginning, but I've more than made up for it now. Seeing the expressions on their faces where before there was nothing always reminds me of you. If you're watching over us now . . .

"Hey, Mikoto!"

I look up.

Standing at the gate of the village is a Genome. My feet become rooted to the spot. When I make no move, he does. He comes so close that I can see the happiness in his eyes.

"Long time no see . . . little sister."

I blink. "But . . . but . . ."

The Second. A thief. A Genome. Zidane. He has gone by many names in the past. At present, none of them will form on my lips.

His expression turns sad. "What, no happy welcome? Still no emotion?"

Something inside me melts away. Tears begin to spill down my cheeks, and my chest hitches with sobs. Now he looks surprised.

"What the -"

"Zidane!" I cry, and throw my arms around him.

As he returns the embrace wholeheartedly, I begin to think that this is, quite possibly, the best moment of my life.

  


_Xx-Mikoto-xX_

  


***

  
All characters and the main theme are owned by Squaresoft. 


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